Entering his 18th year with Valdosta State, Mike Helfer has established himself as one of the top coaches in the nation. he has recorded a 337165 record, including 14 winning seasons, and he has repeatedly established his program as one of the most exciting teams in the Gulf South Conference, South Region, and nationwide.
Helfer has guided the red and black to eight NCAA tournament appearances along with five-straight Gulf South Conference regular season titles. Helfer also led the 2020-21 Blazers to the prgoram’s first Gulf South Conference Tournament Championship. He has won 20 or more games four of the last five years and eight times during his time in Titletown. Helfer has also gone 93-37 over the last five years, marking the most wins in a five-year stretch in program history.
In 2020-21, the Blazers finished on top of the GSC East Division with a 14-4 overall record. Helfer reached his 500th career victory during a 91-87 win against Auburn Montgomery in 24 seasons of coaching. Helfer and the Blazers reached the GSC Tournament Final for the second year in-a-row last season. Helfer coached three All-Tournament Team players last season, along with the Most Outstanding Player Burke Putnam. The Blazers’ GSC Tournament win solidified the four seed in the NCAA South Region before the team finished the season ranked 24th nationally.
In 2018-19, the Blazers clinched their third-straight league regular season title, finishing the season 24-7 and 16-4 in the GSC. With a senior-led team, including standout Beau Justice, the Blazers reached the Gulf South Conference semifinal round and earned a berth into the NCAA South Regional. Justice finished his career as the all-time leader in made 3-pointers with 257, while he finished with 1,754 points for fourth alltime in school history in just three seasons at VSU. In addition, Helfer’s squad set the school-record for points in a season (2,782), three-pointers made (320), free throw percentage (.765) and assists (554).
Prior to his time as a head coach, Helfer spent seven years as an assistant coach. He began his career at his alma mater, Division III Capital University, where he served as an assistant for two years. Upon leaving Capital, Helfer joined the coaching staff at Division I Kent State in 1991 and worked with the school through the 1994-95 season. He also served as an assistant with Division II Grand Valley State during the 1996-97 season, helping the Lakers to a 23-6 record and the NCAA Division II tournament.
Records Broken Under Helfer Victories in a Season 2009-10: 28 Points in a Season 2018-19: 2,782 Free Throw Attempts in a Season 2009-10: 812 Three-Pointers in a Season 2018-19: 320 Three-Pointers in a Game (February 28, 2015 at West Florida): 21 Assists in a Season 2018-19: 554
Blocked Shots in a Season 2012-13: 212 Season Records 2005-2006: 17-11 (7-7 GSC) 2006-2007: 20-9 (8-4 GSC) 2007-2008: 18-11 (8-4 GSC) 2008-2009: 24-7 (9-3 GSC) 2009-2010: 28-5 (9-1 GSC) 2010-2011: 21-9 (7-5 GSC) 2011-2012: 11-16 (3-11 GSC) 2012-2013: 19-10 (9-9 GSC) 2013-2014: 16-12 (9-11 GSC) 2014-2015: 10-18 (5-17 GSC) 2015-2016: 17-11 (13-9 GSC) 2016-2017: 26-6 (19-3 GSC) 2017-2018: 26-5 (18-2 GSC) 2018-2019: 24-7 (16-4 GSC) 2019-2020: 26-4 (18-2 GSC) 2020-2021: 17-5 (14-4 GSC) 2021-2022: 11-16 (7-13 GSC)
Deandra Shirmer led the Lady Blazers to their first Elite Eight appearance since 1984 last season as the team ended the year with a 26-5 record and a 17-2 mark in the Gulf South Conference. The Lady Blazers upset the No. 1-ranked Union last season to clinch a berth into the Elite Eight.
in 2021, the Lady Blazers finished 13th in the final Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Top 25 to end the 2021 campaign. Schirmer improved her record to 3615 overall and 26-12 in GSC play, while graduate transfer Kwajelin Farrar earned GSC East Division Player of the Year honors, multiple all-region honors and became the first Lady Blazer since 1995 to earn WBCA First Team All-America accolades in 2021. Farrar became the seventh Lady Blazer to earn WBCA All-America honors in program history. Farrar finished the season leading the team in scoring at 14.2 points per game. Farrar was 134 of 226 from the field for a 59.3 average from the floor for ninth nationally and second in the GSC. Her 134 field goals made were good for fourth in the GSC and 35th nationally, while her 11 double-doubles put her tenth nationally and third in the league. Her 9.7 rebounds per game put her 33rd nationally and sixth in the league. She had a team-high 23 blocks for the season in 22 games played and 22 starts.
In her first season in Titletown, Schirmer guided the Lady Blazers to an 18-11 record overall and a 10-10 mark in Gulf South Conference play. Schirmer brought in a couple of key transfers this season in Cheray Saunders and Saniah Simpson-Patu. Schirmer’s squad also had junior Kayla Bonilla who eclipsed the 1,000 career point mark as the 27th player in school history to do so. Schirmer had her biggest win of the season as the Lady Blazers upset then-No. 4-ranked Lee 74-68 on Dec. 17, 2019. Bonilla earned second team all-conference honors this season. As a team, VSU finished third in the league in free throws made (408) for 61st nationally and was fourth in the league in free throws attempted (576) for 74th nationally. The Lady Blazers also were fourth in 3-point field goal shooting at a 33.3 clip for 78th nationally. Schirmer guided the team to its fourth-straight appearance in the Gulf South Conference Tournament.
Valdosta State Athletic Director Herb Reinhard announced Saturday, May 3, 2019, the hiring of Deandra Shirmer as the next women’s basketball coach at VSU.
Schirmer had been an assistant coach at Eckerd College in Florida for the past five years prior to coming to VSU and was elevated to Associate Head Coach in 2018. She also served as recruiting coordinator for the Tritons where her leadership and player development has helped produce the three most successful seasons in program history. Prior to Schirmer’s arrival at EC, the Tritons had not earned a NCAA postseason bid in the 32-year history of the program.
She began her playing career at Cloud County Community College (Kan.), earning allconference and all-region honors. While at Cloud County, she helped lead the team to a 26-7 record as a sophomore and was named Jayhawk Conference Western Division Second Team and was an all-region selection.
Shirmer earned her bachelor’s degree from USCA in business marketing and earned a master’s degree of sports administration from Georgia State.
1 OWENS, Jacolbey 16-16 525:13 32.8 75-180 .417 17-48 .354 80-117 .684 9 42 51 3.2 22 0 100 45 6 29 247 15.4
11 FOFANA, Mohamed 16-9 402:34 25.2 89-155 .574 5-20 .250 48-62 .774 20 52 72 4.5 33 0 29 32 4 21 231 14.4
4 FLENOR, Lee 1-0 23:20 23.3 6-8 .750 0-0 .000 2-4 .500 4 2 6 6.0 3 0 1 4 0 1 14 14.0
33 BOSER, Caden 16-16 450:51 28.2 75-147 .510 27-70 .386 38-42 .905 13 55 68 4.3 38 1 20 33 4 11 215 13.4
3 HAMILTON, Cam 16-7 341:58 21.4 49-126 .389 32-83 .386 24-33 .727 7 30 37 2.3 34 2 28 18 1 35 154 9.6
20 BLACK, Ryan 16-4 366:43 22.9 54-123 .439 41-103 .398 5-7 .714 13 44 57 3.6 27 0 9 9 3 12 154 9.6
0 RUCKER, Jay 16-14 389:53 24.4 56-101 .554 4-19 .211 20-38 .526 33 58 91 5.7 42 0 20 19 20 10 136 8.5
2 GORDON, Maurice 16-14 396:26 24.8 48-94 .511 16-39 .410 20-35 .571 25 58 83 5.2 25 0 22 19 24 13 132 8.3
5 ISLER, Mike 6-0 88:57 14.8 13-25 .520 0-0 .000 10-15 .667 6 6 12 2.0 14 0 2 11 2 3 36 6.0
15 WALKER, Kelan 12-0 55:49 4.7 8-17 .471 2-5 .400 3-4 .750 4 7 11 0.9 5 0 6 2 3 3 21 1.8
12 SELDERS, Cam 16-0 160:33 10.0 10-19 .526 2-5 .400 3-5 .600 5 12 17 1.1 17 0 21 10 4 11 25 1.6
24 WILLIAMS, JJ 6-0 16:59 2.8 3-8 .375 1-4 .250 0-2 .000 1 2 3 0.5 2 0 1 4 0 4 7 1.2
32 LAVAN, Jace 4-0 08:39 2.2 2-6 .333 0-0 .000 0-0 .000 3 1 4 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 1.0
21 CONNOR, Chris 4-0 11:25 2.9 2-4 .500 0-2 .000 0-2 .000 2 1 3 0.8 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 1.0
22 GARRINGTON, Dylan 5-0 10:43 2.1 0-4 .000 0-3 .000 0-0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0.0
Team 24 28 52 4
Total 16 3250 490-1017 .482 147-401 .367 253-366 .691 169 398 567 35.4 264 3 259 210 71 156 1380 86.3 Opponents 16 3250 482-1042 .463 126-389 .324 192-253 .759 195 413 608 38.0 300 7 232 266 44 99 1282 80.1
VSU OPP
Scoring 1380 1282
Points per game 86.3 80.1
Scoring margin +6.1 -
Field goals-att 490-1017 482-1042 Field goal pct .482 .463
3 point fg-att 147-401 126-389
3-point FG pct .367 .324
3-pt FG made per game 9.2 7.9
Free throws-att 253-366 192-253
Free throw pct .691 .759
F-Throws made per game 15.8 12.0
Rebounds 567 608
Rebounds per game 35.4 38.0
Rebounding margin -2.6 -
Assists 259 232
Assists per game 16.2 14.5
Turnovers 210 266
Turnovers per game 13.1 16.6
Turnover margin +3.5 -
Assist/turnover ratio 1.2 0.9
Steals 156 99 Steals per game 9.8 6.2
Blocks 71 44 Blocks per game 4.4 2.8
Winning streak 2 -
Home win streak 2 -
Attendance 5150 1144
Home games-Avg/Game 7-736 5-229
Neutral site-Avg/Game - 4-168
Date Opponent Score Att.
11/05/2022 vs Lincoln Memorial L 80-108 231 11/06/2022 vs Hillsdale L 65-79 123 11/12/2022 vs Fort Valley St. W 85-58 143 11/13/2022 vs Clark Atlanta W 80-60 175 11/17/2022 Lee W 81-79 1012 11/19/2022 Shorter W 101-62 664 11/22/2022 Clinton W 121-92 689 11/26/2022 at Delta St. W 73-64 345 11/28/2022 at Mississippi Col. Lot2 101-106 245 12/01/2022 West Ga. L 76-88 1036 12/11/2022 Union (TN) L 78-81 731 12/13/2022 Christian Brothers W 86-66 545 12/15/2022 Palm Beach Atl. W 88-83 473 12/18/2022 at West Florida L 78-82 250 12/31/2022 at AUM W 77-71 181 01/02/2023 at Montevallo W 110-103 123
SEARCEY, Taylor 12-11 381:18 31.8 47-107 .439 5-16 .313 46-54 .852 32 48 80 6.7 28 0 35 40 2 34 145 12.1
FRANCIS, Tamiya 12-12 385:11 32.1 46-111 .414 24-64 .375 14-24 .583 6 19 25 2.1 26 1 34 34 0 23 130 10.8
TANNER, Kate 12-12 248:36 20.7 44-82 .537 1-1 1.000 27-50 .540 22 38 60 5.0 45 3 20 33 3 11 116 9.7 3 MARTIN, Emma 12-3 218:23 18.2 30-60 .500 24-49 .490 4-6 .667 2 10 12 1.0 10 0 5 7 5 6 88 7.3 00 ARDS, Jirah 11-11 374:23 34.0 26-74 .351 6-21 .286 17-23 .739 13 42 55 5.0 19 0 26 13 1 23 75 6.8 15 LONG, Lili 12-11 333:04 27.8 23-67 .343 7-33 .212 27-34 .794 9 40 49 4.1 42 1 17 33 1 8 80 6.7
4 JORDAN, India 12-0 150:22 12.5 16-46 .348 5-15 .333 22-28 .786 2 13 15 1.3 11 0 6 8 0 6 59 4.9
32 CURRY, Aleisha 10-0 102:42 10.3 17-26 .654 0-0 .000 11-13 .846 12 12 24 2.4 14 0 7 11 2 4 45 4.5
30 BOLLMER, Kendall 8-0 101:08 12.6 11-27 .407 9-25 .360 0-0 .000 3 3 6 0.8 3 0 6 7 0 3 31 3.9 22 BEYER, Grace 2-0 07:51 3.9 1-3 .333 0-0 .000 0-0 .000 0 1 1 0.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1.0 23 FREY, Kayla 6-0 33:35 5.6 3-6 .500 0-1 .000 0-0 .000 1 5 6 1.0 11 0 0 5 0 2 6 1.0 5 NELSON, Shanice 10-0 63:27 6.3 3-11 .273 1-5 .200 0-0 .000 1 6 7 0.7 5 0 0 5 0 1 7 0.7
Team 24 31 55 21 Total 12 2400 267-620 .431 82-230 .357 168-232 .724 127 268 395 32.9 214 5 156 217 14 121 784 65.3 Opponents 12 2400 236-582 .405 71-217 .327 131-193 .679 107 249 356 29.7 238 7 120 254 30 98 674 56.2
Date Opponent
Field goals-att 267-620 236-582 Field goal pct .431 .405
3 point fg-att 82-230 71-217 3-point FG pct .357 .327 3-pt FG made per game 6.8 5.9 Free throws-att 168-232 131-193 Free throw pct .724 .679 F-Throws made per game 14.0 10.9 Rebounds 395 356 Rebounds per game 32.9 29.7 Rebounding margin +3.3Assists 156 120 Assists per game 13.0 10.0 Turnovers 217 254 Turnovers per game 18.1 21.2 Turnover margin +3.1Assist/turnover ratio 0.7 0.5 Steals 121 98 Steals per game 10.1 8.2 Blocks 14 30 Blocks per game 1.2 2.5 Winning streak 10Home win streak 5Attendance 3533 948 Home games-Avg/Game 7-505 5-190 Neutral site-Avg/Game - 0-0
Score Att.
11/11/2022 Eckerd L 58-88 428 11/17/2022 Lee L 55-56 652 11/19/2022 Shorter W 81-44 430 11/22/2022 Ga. Southwestern W 66-52 475 11/26/2022 at Delta St. W 44-42 247 11/28/2022 at Mississippi Col. W 55-53 211 12/01/2022 West Ga. W 72-45 578 12/11/2022 Union (TN) W 60-54 547 12/13/2022 Christian Brothers W 79-61 423 12/18/2022 at West Florida W 60-56 274 12/31/2022 at AUM W 75-56 103 01/02/2023 at Montevallo W 79-67 113
31 JOHNSON, Chaney 16-16 395:49 24.7 96-188 .511 11-35 .314 57-77 .740 22 92 114 7.1 33 1 22 41 8 18 260 16.3
3 BURNETT, Luke 16-16 458:08 28.6 66-162 .407 47-122 .385 24-27 .889 8 26 34 2.1 17 0 16 6 1 22 203 12.7
4 WILLIAMSON, CJ 8-7 176:22 22.0 42-76 .553 1-11 .091 11-18 .611 5 15 20 2.5 18 0 15 11 2 7 96 12.0
33 SHULMAN, Max 16-16 501:43 31.4 54-129 .419 31-94 .330 23-30 .767 15 62 77 4.8 16 0 39 20 3 21 162 10.1
11 KOSTEL, Jack 16-16 449:58 28.1 40-84 .476 16-41 .390 25-33 .758 7 44 51 3.2 22 0 54 19 0 21 121 7.6
21 DODD, Dalton 16-0 229:23 14.3 29-75 .387 12-29 .414 12-18 .667 14 35 49 3.1 18 0 12 18 3 5 82 5.1
55 SHULMAN, Tanner 16-0 204:17 12.8 21-56 .375 18-48 .375 2-2 1.000 2 13 15 0.9 14 0 13 8 0 6 62 3.9
23 HARDING, Dane 16-9 298:58 18.7 18-48 .375 14-39 .359 11-12 .917 11 20 31 1.9 15 0 31 8 1 7 61 3.8
45 SAYLOR, Daniel 16-0 154:19 9.6 24-36 .667 0-0 .000 12-19 .632 14 26 40 2.5 30 0 9 20 5 5 60 3.8
20 VICK, Hunter 9-0 87:28 9.7 13-32 .406 1-8 .125 3-7 .429 0 14 14 1.6 6 0 10 6 1 3 30 3.3
32 THURMAN, Matthew 11-0 75:28 6.9 8-18 .444 5-10 .500 6-6 1.000 7 13 20 1.8 5 0 3 3 0 1 27 2.5
12 THOMAS, Nylan 14-0 118:13 8.4 9-22 .409 4-11 .364 5-10 .500 1 8 9 0.6 12 0 7 4 2 0 27 1.9
0 MARTIN, Graham 5-0 33:51 6.8 2-9 .222 0-3 .000 4-4 1.000 4 1 5 1.0 4 0 1 2 0 0 8 1.6
10 RADAKER, Jacob 5-0 17:33 3.5 1-5 .200 0-1 .000 2-2 1.000 1 2 3 0.6 3 0 1 0 1 0 4 0.8
22 HAMILTON, Trey 6-0 22:56 3.8 1-6 .167 1-6 .167 0-0 .000 1 0 1 0.2 1 0 1 0 0 0 3 0.5
5 AMONETT, Will 1-0 00:35 0.6 0-0 .000 0-0 .000 0-0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
Team 10 33 43 8
Total 16 3225 424-946 .448 161-458 .352 197-265 .743 122 404 526 32.9 214 1 234 174 27 116 1206 75.4 Opponents 16 3225 422-936 .451 203-515 .394 125-181 .691 140 436 576 36.0 261 5 271 235 18 90 1172 73.3
UAH OPP
Scoring 1206 1172
Points per game 75.4 73.3
Scoring margin +2.1 -
Field goals-att 424-946 422-936 Field goal pct .448 .451
3 point fg-att 161-458 203-515 3-point FG pct .352 .394
3-pt FG made per game 10.1 12.7
Free throws-att 197-265 125-181 Free throw pct .743 .691
F-Throws made per game 12.3 7.8
Rebounds 526 576
Rebounds per game 32.9 36.0
Rebounding margin -3.1 -
Assists 234 271
Assists per game 14.6 16.9
Turnovers 174 235
Turnovers per game 10.9 14.7
Turnover margin +3.8 -
Assist/turnover ratio 1.3 1.2
Steals 116 90
Steals per game 7.3 5.6
Blocks 27 18 Blocks per game 1.7 1.1
Winning streak 4Home win streak 9 -
Attendance 5332 1631
Home games-Avg/Game 9-592 5-326 Neutral site-Avg/Game - 2-123
Date Opponent Score Att.
11/05/2022 vs Nova Southeastern L 81-101 123 11/06/2022 vs Lincoln Memorial W 83-81 123 11/11/2022 Saint Leo W 65-57 541 11/12/2022 Tampa W 80-71 391 11/19/2022 AUM W 84-74 335 11/22/2022 Toccoa Falls W 106-85 531 11/26/2022 at Montevallo L 70-89 87 11/28/2022 at West Ala. Wot 69-67 521 12/02/2022 Lee W 74-62 633 12/04/2022 Shorter W 71-51 734 12/09/2022 at Delta St. W 65-56 320 12/11/2022 at Mississippi Col. L 62-92 369 12/15/2022 at West Ga. W 58-57 334 12/18/2022 Asbury W 90-84 712 12/31/2022 Christian Brothers W 72-71 721 01/02/2023 Union (TN) W 76-74 734
45 NICHOLS, Haley 13-10 334:52 25.8 57-106 .538 4-10 .400 41-49 .837 29 72 101 7.8 25 0 17 27 4 10 159 12.2 34 WOODS, Alexis 1-1 19:53 19.9 4-8 .500 2-3 .667 1-2 .500 3 3 6 6.0 2 0 0 1 0 0 11 11.0 15 FLATGARD, Andie 14-14 496:56 35.5 44-135 .326 11-58 .190 16-22 .727 8 64 72 5.1 18 0 26 31 0 13 115 8.2
1 HOWARD, Olivia 14-9 332:18 23.7 41-97 .423 1-2 .500 22-38 .579 14 41 55 3.9 28 0 15 42 1 6 105 7.5
22 JENNINGS, Jesse 12-6 211:38 17.6 24-67 .358 4-16 .250 32-45 .711 5 32 37 3.1 22 2 11 25 2 10 84 7.0
24 KRIEGER, Madie 14-14 474:05 33.9 26-68 .382 10-32 .313 7-9 .778 6 34 40 2.9 13 0 22 23 1 10 69 4.9
21 FLEMING, Ellen 12-5 157:28 13.1 16-49 .327 9-24 .375 15-18 .833 1 3 4 0.3 20 0 3 13 0 2 56 4.7
11 HUGHES, Elyse 14-4 213:23 15.2 17-44 .386 0-0 .000 17-27 .630 16 18 34 2.4 22 0 15 27 0 3 51 3.6
0 ADLE, Haelim 13-2 183:44 14.1 16-38 .421 2-3 .667 7-8 .875 2 29 31 2.4 18 0 7 20 1 2 41 3.2
4 TAYLOR, Alaina 10-1 125:33 12.6 9-36 .250 6-22 .273 4-5 .800 2 5 7 0.7 16 0 3 12 0 3 28 2.8
20 MACHEN, Bella 14-1 161:36 11.5 11-43 .256 5-25 .200 5-9 .556 6 17 23 1.6 15 0 2 12 0 7 32 2.3
44 BROWN, India 2-0 08:23 4.2 1-4 .250 0-0 .000 2-4 .500 0 1 1 0.5 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 2.0
10 MAXFIELD, Taylor 10-3 75:32 7.6 3-18 .167 0-3 .000 1-5 .200 2 3 5 0.5 7 0 4 7 0 2 7 0.7
23 HOLLEY, Abbi 1-0 04:38 4.6 0-0 .000 0-0 .000 0-0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
Team 29 27 56 16
Total 14 2800 269-713 .377 54-198 .273 170-241 .705 123 349 472 33.7 207 2 125 256 9 68 762 54.4 Opponents 14 2800 338-830 .407 93-278 .335 156-210 .743 161 346 507 36.2 222 0 181 171 40 130 925 66.1
UAH OPP
Scoring 762 925
Points per game 54.4 66.1
Scoring margin -11.6 -
Field goals-att 269-713 338-830 Field goal pct .377 .407
3 point fg-att 54-198 93-278
3-point FG pct .273 .335
3-pt FG made per game 3.9 6.6
Free throws-att 170-241 156-210
Free throw pct .705 .743
F-Throws made per game 12.1 11.1
Rebounds 472 507
Rebounds per game 33.7 36.2
Rebounding margin -2.5 -
Assists 125 181
Assists per game 8.9 12.9
Turnovers 256 171
Turnovers per game 18.3 12.2
Turnover margin -6.1Assist/turnover ratio 0.5 1.1
Steals 68 130 Steals per game 4.9 9.3
Blocks 9 40 Blocks per game 0.6 2.9
Winning streak 0 -
Home win streak 0 -
Attendance 2807 1578
Home games-Avg/Game 6-468 7-225 Neutral site-Avg/Game - 1-89
Date Opponent
Score Att.
11/11/2022 at Saint Leo L 54-68 125 11/12/2022 vs Fla. Southern L 57-75 89 11/16/2022 at Trevecca Nazarene L 59-75 263 11/19/2022 AUM W 72-56 253 11/26/2022 at Montevallo L 48-74 133 11/28/2022 at West Ala. L 66-67 361
12/02/2022 Lee L 46-65 354 12/04/2022 Shorter W 55-42 615 12/09/2022 at Delta St. W 54-47 210 12/11/2022 at Mississippi Col. L 43-51 269 12/15/2022 at West Ga. L 37-58 217 12/18/2022 Columbus St. L 61-78 478 12/31/2022 Christian Brothers L 63-84 552 01/02/2023 Union (TN) L 47-85 555
5 DURHAM, Terry 14-14 390:06 27.9 71-125 .568 1-8 .125 57-97 .588 42 71 113 8.1 39 0 18 28 5 16 200 14.3
0 ALLEN, Shardarrion 14-14 444:18 31.7 81-163 .497 10-32 .313 24-31 .774 27 47 74 5.3 34 1 27 24 1 15 196 14.0
2 ALLISON, Justin 14-14 449:49 32.1 44-124 .355 23-73 .315 52-64 .813 10 51 61 4.4 16 0 40 41 0 14 163 11.6
3 GARNER, Kuran 14-14 421:29 30.1 60-144 .417 15-65 .231 28-32 .875 8 47 55 3.9 26 0 31 22 0 15 163 11.6
22 WILLIAMS, Thaddeus 14-0 319:39 22.8 38-89 .427 10-30 .333 24-30 .800 3 37 40 2.9 21 0 17 19 0 13 110 7.9
1 MELTON, CJ 14-14 403:01 28.8 21-56 .375 8-27 .296 20-29 .690 29 46 75 5.4 34 0 26 16 5 11 70 5.0
20 PRICE, Marvin 13-0 143:29 11.0 23-38 .605 1-3 .333 15-22 .682 9 15 24 1.8 18 1 5 5 3 1 62 4.8
21 SANDERS, Chase 1-0 14:47 14.8 1-2 .500 0-0 .000 2-2 1.000 1 2 3 3.0 1 0 0 1 0 1 4 4.0
21 TURAY, Peter 8-0 93:53 11.7 10-18 .556 0-0 .000 8-14 .571 10 14 24 3.0 11 0 1 7 1 1 28 3.5
24 DENNIS, Trevor 10-0 89:26 8.9 13-34 .382 5-22 .227 2-3 .667 3 7 10 1.0 9 0 4 0 0 2 33 3.3
4 TALLEY, Tyler 5-0 35:10 7.0 5-11 .455 2-6 .333 4-4 1.000 1 2 3 0.6 3 0 4 1 0 2 16 3.2
10 DIOP, Cyrille 5-0 30:42 6.1 2-7 .286 0-0 .000 0-0 .000 3 4 7 1.4 4 0 3 1 0 0 4 0.8
23 BURNEY, Kanntrell 3-0 10:29 3.5 1-3 .333 0-2 .000 0-0 .000 0 1 1 0.3 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 0.7
13 DOWNEY, Kyle 2-0 03:42 1.9 0-0 .000 0-0 .000 0-0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
Team 38 33 71 11
Total 14 2850 370-814 .455 75-268 .280 236-328 .720 184 377 561 40.1 217 2 177 176 15 91 1051 75.1 Opponents 14 2850 302-743 .406 67-235 .285 152-231 .658 98 300 398 28.4 289 8 136 213 40 83 823 58.8
WA OPP
Scoring 1051 823
Points per game 75.1 58.8
Scoring margin +16.3 -
Field goals-att 370-814 302-743
Field goal pct .455 .406
3 point fg-att 75-268 67-235 3-point FG pct .280 .285 3-pt FG made per game 5.4 4.8
Free throws-att 236-328 152-231
Free throw pct .720 .658
F-Throws made per game 16.9 10.9
Rebounds 561 398
Rebounds per game 40.1 28.4
Rebounding margin +11.6 -
Assists 177 136
Assists per game 12.6 9.7
Turnovers 176 213
Turnovers per game 12.6 15.2
Turnover margin +2.6Assist/turnover ratio 1.0 0.6
Steals 91 83
Steals per game 6.5 5.9 Blocks 15 40 Blocks per game 1.1 2.9
Winning streak 6 -
Home win streak 4 -
Attendance 2884 1485
Home games-Avg/Game 10-288 4-371 Neutral site-Avg/Game - 0-0
Date Opponent Score Att.
11/11/2022 Central St. (OH) W 85-48 561
11/13/2022 Albany St. (GA) W 87-56 316 11/19/2022 at Montevallo W 76-68 610 11/22/2022 Oakwood W 104-47 182 11/26/2022 at AUM W 81-51 131 11/28/2022 Alabama Huntsville Lot 67-69 521 12/02/2022 Shorter W 66-49 301
12/04/2022 Lee L 46-51 272 12/09/2022 at Mississippi Col. W 69-59 469 12/11/2022 at Delta St. Wot 80-71 275 12/14/2022 Berry W 78-65 112 12/18/2022 West Ga. W 75-67 222 12/31/2022 Union (TN) W 77-69 215 01/02/2023 Christian Brothers W 60-53 182
2 DENT, Bria 12-12 426:40 35.6 96-189 .508 2-9 .222 29-51 .569 41 97 138 11.5 28 0 24 27 3 21 223 18.6 12 LOGSDON, Maryanne 12-12 398:15 33.2 49-123 .398 25-58 .431 20-29 .690 11 36 47 3.9 33 2 33 26 0 13 143 11.9 34 WATTS, Zoe 12-12 347:05 28.9 52-116 .448 12-42 .286 20-26 .769 10 37 47 3.9 29 1 7 22 6 8 136 11.3
10 WILLIAMS, Jala 12-12 379:08 31.6 48-118 .407 4-15 .267 35-52 .673 8 51 59 4.9 31 0 71 41 3 25 135 11.3
5 CLARK, Kamille 12-2 231:49 19.3 14-38 .368 2-4 .500 1-4 .250 15 17 32 2.7 10 0 5 8 2 1 31 2.6
15 JENKINS, Aniyah Shadaye 8-0 69:56 8.7 8-20 .400 0-0 .000 4-9 .444 6 7 13 1.6 8 0 3 4 4 1 20 2.5
11 ARNOLD, Augusta 4-0 32:40 8.2 3-8 .375 0-1 .000 3-3 1.000 3 1 4 1.0 2 0 1 2 0 0 9 2.3
3 BARNES, Takesia 12-0 99:35 8.3 7-23 .304 1-6 .167 4-6 .667 12 13 25 2.1 13 0 2 5 0 0 19 1.6
22 DADE, Aliyah 12-6 271:56 22.7 7-29 .241 4-16 .250 0-2 .000 10 12 22 1.8 20 1 13 4 4 2 18 1.5
24 NOBLE, Ella 11-4 77:34 7.1 4-14 .286 0-0 .000 7-11 .636 8 6 14 1.3 8 0 6 8 1 2 15 1.4
14 ELBARKY, Raneem 6-0 20:24 3.4 3-6 .500 1-1 1.000 0-0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 2 0 0 0 1 0 7 1.2
13 WALLACE, Allison 4-0 08:48 2.2 1-1 1.000 1-1 1.000 0-0 .000 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 1 0 1 3 0.8
21 SCHWALLIE, Sydney 6-0 25:38 4.3 0-5 .000 0-2 .000 0-0 .000 0 1 1 0.2 1 0 4 4 0 0 0 0.0
23 MCCALLISTER, Kiona 3-0 10:33 3.5 0-1 .000 0-0 .000 0-0 .000 0 1 1 0.3 1 0 0 2 0 1 0 0.0 Team 15 32 47 9
Total 12 2400 292-691 .423 52-155 .335 123-193 .637 139 311 450 37.5 186 4 169 163 24 75 759 63.3 Opponents 12 2398 252-663 .380 76-244 .311 132-186 .710 98 274 372 31.0 193 1 142 177 22 75 712 59.3
WA OPP
Scoring 759 712
Points per game 63.3 59.3
Scoring margin +3.9 -
Field goals-att 292-691 252-663 Field goal pct .423 .380
3 point fg-att 52-155 76-244 3-point FG pct .335 .311
3-pt FG made per game 4.3 6.3
Free throws-att 123-193 132-186
Free throw pct .637 .710
F-Throws made per game 10.3 11.0
Rebounds 450 372
Rebounds per game 37.5 31.0
Rebounding margin +6.5 -
Assists 169 142
Assists per game 14.1 11.8
Turnovers 163 177
Turnovers per game 13.6 14.8
Turnover margin +1.2 -
Assist/turnover ratio 1.0 0.8
Steals 75 75
Steals per game 6.3 6.3
Blocks 24 22 Blocks per game 2.0 1.8
Winning streak 0 -
Home win streak 0 -
Attendance 1377 903
Home games-Avg/Game 7-197 4-226
Neutral site-Avg/Game - 1-200
Date Opponent Score Att.
11/12/2022 vs Winona St. L 55-58 200 11/19/2022 at Montevallo W 68-57 247 11/22/2022 Spring Hill W 75-64 126 11/26/2022 at AUM W 74-72 99 11/28/2022 Alabama Huntsville W 67-66 361 12/02/2022 Shorter W 65-53 204 12/04/2022 Lee L 57-66 162 12/09/2022 at Mississippi Col. W 70-38 307 12/11/2022 at Delta St. L 54-67 250 12/18/2022 West Ga. W 61-47 200 12/31/2022 Union (TN) L 53-58 162 01/02/2023 Christian Brothers L 60-66 162
1
Olivia Howard
F 6-0 Sr. Spanish Fort, Ala. / Wallace State 4
Alaina Taylor G 5-5 Jr. Athens, Ala. / Athens HS 5 Haelim Adle G 5-8 Fr. Gainesville, Ga. / North Forsyth HS 10 Taylor Maxfield G 5-9 Sr. Jackson, Tenn. / Trinity Christian Acade-my 11 Elyse Hughes F 6-0 Fr. Foley, Ala. / Fairhope HS 15
Andie Flatgard G 5-7 Fr. Ridgeland, Miss. / Jackson Preparatory 20 Bellah Machen G 5-8 Fr. Morris, Ala. / Mortimer Jordan HS 21 Ellen Fleming G/F 5-10 So. Chelsea, Ala. / Chelsea HS 22 Jesse Jennings G 5-8 So. Pulaski, Tenn. / Richland HS 23
Abbi Holley G 5-6 Sr. Tuscumbia, Ala. / Deshler HS 24
Madie Krieger G 5-6 Fr. Rogersville, Ala. / Rogers HS 34 Alexis Woods F 6-1 R-Sr. Athens, Ala. / Athens HS 42
Jirah Rogers F 6-0 So. Athens, Ala. / East Limestone HS 44 India Brown C 6-2 Jr. Gadsden, Ala. / Shelton State 45 Haley Nichols C 6-0 R-So. Avon, Ind. / UT Martin
Head Coach: Andrea Lemmond
Assistant Coach: Mary Elizabeth Laatsch / Graduate Assistant: Caitlin Horse
0 Graham Martin G 6-4 180 R-Fr. roanoke, Ala. / Handley HS 3 Luke Burnett G 6-2 185 So. Knoxville, Tenn. / Webb School 4 CJ Williamson G 6-5 215 Sr. Guntersville, Ala. / Faulkner 10 Jacob Radaker F 6-9 225 R-Fr. Jefferson, Ga. / Chattanooga 11 Jack Kostel G 6-2 185 So. Dacula, Ga. / Mill Creek HS 12 Nylan Thomas G 6-1 180 So. Huntsville, Ala. / Buckhorn HS 20 Hunter Vick G 6-4 195 Gr. Camden, Tenn. / Union 21 Dalton Todd F 6-7 220 Jr. Alexandria, Ala. / Alexandria HS 22 Trey Hamilton G 6-5 180 R-Fr. Chattanooga, Tenn. / McCallie 23 Dane Harding G 6-7 190 So. Albertville, Ala. / Albertville HS 31 Chaney John-son G 6-7 215 So. Alabaster, Ala. / Thompson HS / 32 Matt Thurman F 6-8 225 R-Fr. Franklin, Tenn. / Franklin HS 33 Max Shulman G 6-5 200 R-Sr. Chattanooga, Tenn. / McCallie 45 Daniel Saylor F 6-11 240 So. Pleasant View, Tenn. / Sycamore HS 55 Tanner Shulman F/G 6-5 200 R-So. Chattanooga, Tenn. / Lipscomb
2
Bria Dent
G/F 5-9 Sr. Birmingham, Ala. (Minor HS) 3
Takesia Barnes G 5-10 Gr. Memphis, Tenn. (Lane College) 5 Kamille Clark G 6-0 So. Memphis, Tenn. (Jackson State CC) 10 Jala Williams G 5-5 Sr. Tallahassee, Fla. (Leon HS) 11 Augusta Arnold G 5-7 So. Greensboro, Ala. (Southern Aca.) 12
Maryanne Logsdon G 5-4 Jr. Fort Pierce, Fla. (Indian River State) 13 Allison Wallace G 5-9 Fr. Lexington, Ky. (Fredrick Douglass HS) 14 Raneem Elbarky F 6-1 So. Cairo, Egypt (Hillsborough CC) 21 Sydney Schwallie PG 5-5 Fr. Birmingham, Ala. (Chelsea HS) 22 Aliyah Dade G 5-10 Jr. Springfield, Ore. (Mt. Hood CC) 23 Kiona McCallister F 6-0 Fr. Ruston, La. (Ruston HS) 24 Ella Noble C 6-2 Sr. Spring, Texas (West Texas A&M) 34 Zoe Watts C 6-2 Sr. Birmingham, Ala. (Homewood HS)
Head Coach: Rusty Cram
Assistant Coach: Jeff Lovell
0
Shardarrion Allen
F 6-4 Sr. Bolton, Miss. (Jones College) 1 CJ Melton G 6-4 Jr. Hoover, Ala. (Presbyterian College) 2 Justin Allison G 6-0 Sr. Pelham, Ala. (Spring Hill) 3 Kuran Garner G 6-1 Jr. Huntsville, Ala. (Wallace State CC) 4 Tyler Talley G 5-11 Jr. Starkville, Miss. (Holmes CC) 5 Terry Durham F 6-6 Jr. Cincinnati, Ohio (Pensacola State CC) 10 Cyrille Diop C 6-9 So. Paris, France 13 Kyle Downey G 6-2 Fr. Heflin, Ala. (Cleburne County) 20 Marvin Price F 6-5 Jr. Baltimore, M.d. (Western Carolina) 21 Peter Turay C 6-8 Jr. London, England (Casper CC) 22 Thadd Williams G 5-11 So. Bessemer, Ala. (Shelton State CC) 24 Trevor Dennis G 6-5 So. Bowling Green, Ky. (Spoon River)
Head Coach: Nick Woodruff
Assistant Coaches: Jake Jobling / Graduate Assistant: Robert Davis
The Complex serves as the home to the Valdosta State basketball programs as well as Blazer volleyball. One of the rowdiest arenas in the NCAA Division II ranks, The Complex seats 5,350 fans for each Blazer home event. The venue nearly reached it’s capacity during the 2009-10 men’s basketball season, when a record 4,616 fans gathered on February 27, 2010 to watch Valdosta State take on the West Georgia Wolves.
The Complex has undergone several renovations since its opening in 1983 and is today one of the top arenas in the Gulf South Conference. The most recent update and perhaps one of the largest to the facility was a complete renovation of the lobby area in 2013. Locker room renovations were also implemented that same year. Prior to the 2006-07 season, the lower level seating along each sideline was replaced with new cushioned armchair-style seats. The entire south side seating in the lower level, as well as selected rows on the north side, are reserved seating for Valdosta State’s season ticket holders. Meanwhile, the lower end zone seating area, as well as the entire upper bowl, features bench style seating.
The benches for athletic events are located along the side sideline of the arena. Meanwhile, the west end zone bleachers are used to seat the Valdosta State cheerleaders, Red Hots dance team and pep band as well as the student-run Complex Crazies. The Complex also serves as a concert venue for select shows throughout the year, and graduation ceremonies are also often held in the arena.
In addition to the arena, The Complex also houses newly renovated locker rooms for Valdosta State’s two basketball teams, the volleyball program and the school’s two tennis teams. The south hall of the building also features two visiting team locker rooms as well as faculty locker rooms.
Offices housing Valdosta State’s Athletic Department are located along the east corridor of the facility while the University’s Kinesiology and Physical Education Department, a branch of VSU’s College of Education, is housed along the north hall. Classrooms, utilized by both the Athletic Department and KSPE Department, can also be found along both the north and south halls.
One of Valdosta State’s four Athletic Training Rooms, which features a full line of equipment for the needs of Blazer athletes, can be found along the north hall while the upper bowl of the arena also includes an indoor walking/running track.
Evidence of Valdosta State’s athletic dominance can be found throughout The Complex as the Athletic Department trophy case is located across the south hall from the Athletic Department offices. The trophy cases houses four of Valdosta State’s seven national championship trophies as well a a multitude of Gulf South Conference AllSport trophies and each of the school’s 24 GSC championship trophies along with numerous other momentos from VSU’s athletic past and present. Meanwhile, hanging in the rafters of the arena are banners commemorating some of the best teams in Valdosta State athletic history.
The home to the Valdosta State football and women's soccer programs is the Valdosta State Athletic Fieldhouse. The 41,000 square foot Fieldhouse opened in January 2009 at a cost of $5.8 million, giving the Blazer program one of the top athletic facilities in the nation.
Beyond football and soccer, the fieldhouse also houses the 7,690 square foot Jessie Tuggle Weight Room and a 2,437 square foot state-of-the-art Athletic Training Room that is used by all VSU teams.
The Tuggle Weight Room, which encases nearly 10 times the space of its predecessor, is one of, if not the top, weight facilities among NCAA Division II schools nationwide. It featJessie Tuggle Weight Room ures 10 brand new eight-post stations as well as a reinforced medicine ball wall. New self-contained dumbbell stations were also added to the area while a 30-yard speed track was included in the design of the floor. The Jesse Tuggle Weight Room also features elliptical machines and two stationary bikes for cardio workouts and a built-in microphone/stereo system to aid the strength and conditioning staff while working with large groups of VSU athletes. Additionally, each of the 10 eightpost stations has also been pre-wired for video recording, which will be added in the near future, for further evaluation and instruction by the strength and conditioning staff. The newest addition to the facility are two Cognisens "caves," which allow for an increased mental training to provide Blazer athletes with an additional edge in competition. Valdosta State is the only university on any level in the nation to own the Cognisens machines, with additional owners including Manchester United and multiple NHL hockey teams.
Next door to the Tuggle Weight Room is the Athletic Training Room. The area includes offices for the Valdosta State Athletic Training staff and a private physician exam room as well as a hydrotherapy room for rehabilitation work. The main Athletic Training area features six taping stations as well as six additional treatment areas plus a cardiovascular/rehabilitation area featuring stationary bikes.
Additionally, outside of the facility are two lighted football practice fields and a soccer stadium.
The Athletic Fieldhouse features many amenities that will aid the football team as it endures the rigors of a football season. A 3,265 square foot locker room is the centerpiece of the project and is lined with 126 lockers, enough to house all members of the VSU football squad. Adjacent to the locker room is a 2,100 square foot equipment room with secure “Football Locker Roompass-through” equipment bins that allow managers to address the equipment needs of all the Blazers while keeping each player’s equipment separated.
The remainder of the Athletic
Fieldhouse includes a 3,458 square foot office suite for the football coaches as well as 2,200 square feet of meeting rooms, each equipped with state-of-the-art video equipment. The academic needs of the student-athlete is also addressed as a 1,500 square foot computer lab is equipped with 19 computers.
Academic excellence and a leadership role in NCAA’s Division II make the Gulf South Conference (GSC) something special. Entering its 51st year, the GSC is a charter Division II member that prides itself as one of the first conferences to be created and administered by its CEOs. We take pride in our 50-plus National Team Championships in 13 sports, one individual men’s cross country champion, five men’s golf individual champions, and one track and field champion, as well as more than 150 regional titles, especially because there is no sacrifice on the academic side, where GSC student-athletes graduate at a much higher rate than the general student body. The conference saw all 13 full-time institutions either earn a conference title or advance to NCAA Championship action in 2021-22. The GSC sponsors 19 sports, including 18 championship events. Official sponsored sports include baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, football, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s track and field, and volleyball. Prior to the 2020-21 academic year, the conference officially added women's lacrosse after three seasons as an emerging sport.
In the summer of 1970, six college presidents met to discuss athletics and when the meeting ended, a new league emerged—the Mid-South Conference. Delta State, Florence State (now North Alabama), Jacksonville State, Livingston (now West Alabama), Tennessee-Martin (UTM) and Troy State (TSU) were the charter members, but scheduling problems for the 1970-71 academic year limited the conference to only football. Southeast Louisiana (SELA) and Nicholls State (NSU) joined in 1971 and the league opened an office in Hammond, La., changed its name to the Gulf South Conference, and began championships in nine men’s sports. Mississippi College (MC) and Northwestern Louisiana (NWLA, now Northwestern State) joined in 1972 and two years later, NWLA left for Division I, followed by SELA and NSU in 1979.
The conference continued with seven teams until 1981, when the CEOs admitted Valdosta State and West Georgia (1983). In 1991, UTM and TSU went Division I, briefly dropping the GSC back to seven members, but an aggressive expansion resulted in 10 new members: Lincoln Memorial (1992-93); Alabama Huntsville, Henderson State, Central Arkansas and Mississippi University for Women (MUW, 1993-94); West Florida (1994-95); and ArkansasMonticello, Arkansas Tech, Montevallo and Southern Arkansas (1995-96). Jacksonville State moved to Division I at the end of 1992-93. MC dropped to Division III at the end of 1995-96, and was replaced by Christian Brothers to keep the conference at 16 schools. In July 2000, the GSC welcomed Harding University and Ouachita Baptist University, making it the largest NCAA-playing conference at any level with 18 schools. MUW dropped its athletics program at the end of the 2002-03 season, decreasing the membership to 17. Central Arkansas reclassified to Division I and Lincoln Memorial moved to the South Atlantic Conference following the 2006-07 year. Montevallo’s departure for the Peach Belt Conference dropped the number to 14 in 2009-10. North Alabama completed its final year with the GSC in 2017-18, as the Lions accepted an invitation to go Division I and join the Atlantic Sun Conference.
The GSC moved away from divisional play after the 2010-11 season after its six Arkansas members broke away, dropping the membership to eight. The league implemented a five-year expansion plan in 2012 resulting in the addition of new members Shorter University (2014-15), Union University (2014-15), Lee University (2015-16) and Auburn University at Montgomery (2019-20) along with the return of Mississippi College (2016-17) and Montevallo (2017-18). Auburn Montgomery became a provisional member in 2017-18 as they advanced through the NCAA membership process. The Warhawks are on track to be a full member, eligible for all awards and postseason opportunities, in 2019-20. The conference also adopted affiliate memberships to boost its ranks, resulting in sport-specific members, Flagler (women’s lacrosse), North Greenville (football), Spring Hill College (men’s and women’s soccer and women’s golf), and Young Harris College (women’s lacrosse).
Baseball (6)
West Florida (2011)
Delta State (2004)
Jacksonville State (1990, '91)
Women's Golf (3)
Troy State (1984, '86, '89)
Women's Gymnastics (2)
Troy State (1986, '87) Jacksonville State (1984, '85)
Men's Basketball (3)
Men's Hockey (2) North Alabama (1979, '91) Alabama-Huntsville (1996, '98)
Jacksonville State (1985)
Women's Soccer (2)
Women's Basketball (7) West Florida (2012)
Delta State (1975, '76, '77, '89, '90, '92) Christian Brothers (2002)
Southeastern Louisiana (1977)
Football (13)
Softball (2)
Valdosta State (2012)
Valdosta State (2004, '07, '12, '18) North Alabama (2015)
Delta State (2000)
West Alabama (1971)
West Florida (2019)
Men's Tennis (6)
West Florida (2004, '05', '14, '17)
North Alabama (1993, '94, '95) Valdosta State (2006, '11)
Jacksonville State (1992)
Troy State (1984, '87)
Men's Golf (5)
West Florida (2001, '08)
Men's Track and Field (1)
Southeastern Louisiana (1975)
Women's Volleyball (1)
Troy State (1976, '77, '84) North Alabama (2003)
Lee (2022)
* Mississippi College vacated national title in 1989 / Men's Hockey not GSC Sponsored Sport
